Cardinal baseball standout signed by Wolverines at end of junior season
DAVISON -- The towering home runs and blazing fastball certainly didn't hurt, but Mike Dolloff's appeal to the University of Michigan baseball program goes much, much deeper.
The job of a college scout isn't always easy, unless you happen to find talent like Dolloff's - a strong, versatile player who intimidates opponents on the mound and abuses any baseball which happens to find too much of the plate. But perhaps the only thing more impressive about Dolloff's skills is his admirable modesty about them.
"Oh, I'm still nowhere near where I want to be," he insisted. "I never go to that level like I've achieved (everything). So, I've still got a lot of work to do, definitely...think I can get a lot better."
And that's music to the ears of the Michigan baseball program, which offered Dolloff a full scholarship at the end of his junior season. As it turns out, the Wolverines are getting much more than a player who simply possesses talent.
"Outstanding baseball player, outstanding guy to have on your team," said Dolloff's head coach, Timm Rye. "He's been a team leader, not only by example, but what he brings to the team as far as encouragement for the other players and things of that nature. Just an outstanding kid."
The 24-year Davison Cardinals head coach is part of a big support system which helped Dolloff mature and develop his talents over his four-year stint as a varsity starter.
"Coach Miller, Coach Rye, they've taught me a lot, helped me throughout the recruiting process," said Dolloff. "I've had great teammates, as a freshman I had some seniors like Jared Cowan, Trevor Cousineau, who were great to me and taught me a lot."
So just how good could Mike Dolloff become? The answer may lie within Dolloff himself.
"The athletes that are world-class athletes, these are the guys that tend to outwork everyone else, that's why they get to that level," said Rye. "So, that's where Mike is heading. He has that drive, that determination."
